SALFIT (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces delivered stop-work orders to seven Palestinian families in the village of Kafr al-Dik west of Salfit in the central occupied West Bank late Monday evening, local sources told Ma’an.

Mayor Jamal al-Dik said that Israeli troops stormed a neighborhood in the west side of the village known locally as "al-Khilal" and delivered stop-work warrants to seven families.

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli agency responsible for implementing Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territory, told Ma'an that "the constructions in question were illegally built in C area's where construction requires the approval of the qualified authorities, therefor warrants to stop construction were served."

As Israel almost never gives Palestinians permission to build in land classified as Area C, residents are forced to build their homes without permits and “live in constant fear of their homes and livelihoods being destroyed,” Israeli rights group B’Tselem has said.

According to UN documentation, 1,093 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished by Israeli authorities, displacing 1,601 people.At least 173 demolitions have been reported in the Palestinian territory since the start of 2017, displacing 299 people as of March 6.